Manufacture of mosaic fabrics



P 1929- I E. c. DEARDEN' 1,728,398

MANUFACTURE OF MOSAIC FABRICS Filed Sept. 22, 1927 E'dku'dtd C- warden,

Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD C. DEARDEN,OF MERION, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE GEO. W. BLABON COMPANY, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA MANUFACTUREOF MOSAIC FABRICS Application filed September My invention is animprovement in the manufacture of flexible mosaic fabrics designed toprovide a floor covering or the like having portions of its surface inelief to accentuate the figures of its pattern and'to interrupt thelight reflecting surface thereof; such projections of figures or bordersresulting from differences in. the expansibility of the compositionsfrom which the tesserai comprised in the pattern are made.

By my improvements, I am enabled to produce a flexible mosaic fabrichaving a surface in relief without embossing or indenting the surface,and am also enabled to use for the different tesseraa compositions ofthe same or similar ingredients and proportions of ingredients, and todeposit the linoleum omposition initially upon the backing in .a ers ofuniform thickness.

y present invention is based primarily upon my discovery and utilizationof the fact that linoleum compositions vary in resi liency andexpansibility with age, and by suitably aging the composition designedto form the projecting tesserae I am able to secure a desired excessexpansion of the tesserae formed therefrom after the product has beencompacted in a heated hydraulic press or otherwise. This unequalexpansion of the tesserae results in an impressed effect notwithstandingthe fact that the sheet prior to pressing may be initially of uniformthick ness and may be pressed by plates or rollers having smooth planesurfaces.

The extent of the differences in the age of the different compositionsused in making mosaic fabrics are dependent upon the degree'ofinequality of the expansion of the tesseraa desired and to some degreeupon the constituents and proportions of the composition. I have foundthat a usual composition of oxidized linseed oil, ground cork, woodflour, and pigment is 'ven sufficient additional expansibility by agingfor a week to form a satisfactory ridge or bead projecting beyond thesurface of tesserae formed of freshly made linoleum composition of likeingredients and proportions after both have been compacted by passingthrough a steam heated hydraulic press. Instead of aging 22, 1927.Serial No. 221,221.

fragmentary top plan View of tesserae of granulated linoleum compositionloosely deposited upon a backing to form a pattern of tiles separated bymortar joints; Fig. 2 illustrates a cross sectional view on the line 2-2of Fig. 1 and also shows diagrammatically the bed and top plate of ahydraulic press for compacting the loose granular material Fig. 3 is afragmentary top plan view of the product resulting from compacting thematerial shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionalview on the line 3-3 of Fi 3. I I F11 the preferred practice of myinvention, comparatively fresh granulated linoleum compositions,differing in color or shade are deposited on a backing 1 to formcontrasting plaques or tesserae 2 and 3 which arespaced from one anotherto. provide for the deposit of strips or tesserae 4 composed ofgranulated linoleum composition which has been aged to increase itsresiliency or expansibility.

- The deposit of theloose granular composition may be convenientlyeffected by the use of a plurality of stencils or templates havingapertures with contours like that of the variout tesserae to beproduced. Suitable composition is deposited through the apertures ofeach stencil and leveled off before the stencil is raised to ermit themovement of the backing with t e composition thereon. The backing ismoved step by step from one to the other of the stencils and receivesdeposits of the various compositions until the design is completed. I

Preferably the stencils are positioned at equal distances above thebacking during the deposit of the compositions so that the deposits areof equal thickness or height when moved onto the bed 5 of a steamheatedhydraulic press having a top plate or head 6. The descent of thetop place compacts all of the compositions to approximately one-thirdtheir initial thickness. After a suitable interval the pressure of thepress is released. The compacted compositions 2 and 3 thereupon expandslightly, but the aged composition 4 expands considerably more than thecompositions 2 and 3 so as to produce ridges or beads 4 forming aprojectlng grid above the general surface level.

The interlacing of the granules at the side edges of the tesserae 4 withthe granules at the side edges of the tesserae 2 and 3 tend to restrainthe expansion of the tesserae 4 immediately adjacent the edges thereofso that the ridges 4 are slightly higher at the center than at the edgeswhich latter verge without any sharp ang es or breaks into the surfaceof the tesserae 2 and 3. Other designs, not involving the simulation oftiles, may of course be made in accordance with my invention byv formingtesserae that can project above the surface from a more resilientcomposition than the other tesserae. Or if it is desired that tesseraesuch as 2 and 3 be spaced by depressions or grooves instead of by ridgesor beads. this may be effected by using an aged composition for thetesserae 2 and 3 and a fresher composition for the strips 4.

While I prefer that plastic compositions involved in my invention becomposed of oxidized linseed oil, granulated cork, wood flour, gums andpigment, other binders rendered more resilient or expansible by aging oroxidation may be used, and fillers such as ground leather .or asbestosmay be incorporated in the composition in substitution for or inaddition to those referred. All such compositions are inten ed to beembraced within the term linoleum composition as used in the claims,whether or not such composition actually contains any linseed oil orcork. The fillers are generally unaffected by aging, but usually combinemore readily and intimately with the binder prior to the final aging andoxidation for increasing the resilience or expansion, than after suchfinal aging. The claims are intended to cover the process and productregardless of whether the filler is incorporated in the binder before orafter final aging. The backing may be of burlap, asphaltum treated felt,paper or other suitable sheet material.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A mosaic fabric comprising tesserae composed of inlays of plasticcompositions unequally aged to produce unequal elasticities in thetesserae.

2. A mosaic fabric comprising tessaraa composed of inlays of plasticcompositions containing a binder rendered resilient" by oxidation, suchcompositions containing binders unequally oxidized.

3. A mosaic fabric comprising a'backing having attached thereto plastictesserae composed of ranular particles and an expansible bin er, saidtesserae being unequally aged and the binders thereof of unequalelasticities. I

4. A mosaic fabric comprising tesserae of linoleum compositionssimulating tile or stone and mortar tesserae simulating mortar jointsbetween said-tessera'e first named, tesserae aforesaid being formed ofcomposition of greater age than the composition composlng other tesserzeaforesaid and projecting above the latter.

5. The method of making mosaic fabrics which comprises forming tesseraethereof of compositions whose resilience is increased by age, thecompositions forming certain tesserae being aged longer than thecompositions forming other tesserae, and compacting the tesserae.

6. The method of making mosaic fabrics which comprises unequally aginglinoleum.

compositions, depositing upon a backing tesserae formed of differentlyaged compositions, and compacting and uniting such tesserae by pressure.

7 The method of making mosaic fabrics which comprises depositing on abacking spaced tesserae of linoleum compositions filling the spacesbetween said tesserae with linoleum composition of greater age than saidcomposition first named, and compacting and uniting said tesseree andfiller by pressure.

8. The method of-Inaking mosaic fabrics which comprises depositinggranulated linoleum composition upon a backing through apertures in astencil having the contours of patterned figures, depositing contrastinglinoleum composition on said backing through apertures in a secondstencil having the contours of complementar patterned figures,depositing on said bac ing granulated linoleum composition throughapertures having contour of spaces between figures aforesaid, saidcomposition last named being aged longer than the remaining compositions, compacting and uniting said composition by pressure, andreleasing said pressure, said composition last named expanding more thansaid composition first named.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my name this 16th day ofSeptember, 1927.

EDWARD C. DEARDEN.

